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Discipline Policy

It is the policy of our school to treat children kindly and respectfully at all times. Likewise, we teach the principle of respect for authority and the Biblical principles of Ephesians 4:29-32 (Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he is the one who has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of malicious behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.)

Following the instructions of Scripture, we teach the children to be kind and tenderhearted towards one another in their words and their actions. When children need correction, we focus on training the child about appropriate ways to solve their problems. “Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

To train means to exercise, to discipline, to teach and form by practice. When a person is trained, it becomes part of his character to do what he has been taught. Training builds habits that are right, and training must take place all through the day, not merely in a lesson taught once a day or once a week. The classroom teacher is a trainer. The majority of discipline problems will be dealt with at the classroom level.

We are excited to continue using “Love and Logic” as our discipline plan. Last year our staff was trained in the 9 essential skills of “Love and Logic” and we will continue that training in our monthly staff meetings. We were excited to have four of our teachers attend the Love and Logic Conference this summer in Colorado. We believe in this discipline plan and we are striving to improve our implementation of the program as an entire staff.

Love and Logic

THE LOVE AND LOGIC PROCESS
  1. Shared control: Gain control by giving away the control you don’t need.
  2. Shared thinking and decision-making: Provide opportunities for the child to do the greatest amount of thinking and decision-making.
  3. Equal shares of empathy with consequences: An absence of anger causes a child to think and learn from his/her mistakes.
  4. Maintain the child’s self-concept: Increased self-concept leads to improved behavior and improved achievement.
THE RULES OF LOVE AND LOGIC

RULE #1: Adults set firm limits in loving ways without anger, lecture, or threats.
RULE #2: When a child causes a problem the adult hands it back in loving ways.
  1. In a loving way, the adult holds the child accountable for solving his/her problems in a way that does not make a problem for others.
  2. Children are offered choices with limits.
  3. Adults use enforceable statements.
  4. Adults provide delayed/extended consequences.
  5. The adult’s empathy is “locked in” before consequences are delivered.
There are 9 essential skills in implementing Love and Logic. Each month, through the newsletter, we will be sharing with you a different skill. As the year progresses, we will be offering parenting classes in Love and Logic.

CORE BELIEFS ABOUT SCHOOL DISCIPLINE

Each student is a unique individual created by God, with unique personal, social, and educational needs. As a result, every disciplinary situation becomes unique in nature. Consequences for misbehavior provide the best learning value when matched to the unique student and the unique situation. The odds for children learning from their mistakes increases dramatically when children see a reasonable connection between their behavior and the resulting consequences.

Southside Christian School Staff dedicates itself to following a set of core beliefs which provides a guide for dealing with student discipline. These core beliefs guide our attempts to individualize disciplinary procedures and to help students see reasonable connections between their behavior and the resulting consequences.

The following list of core beliefs outlines the professional actions and attitude of all the staff members in this school:
  1. Every attempt will be made to maintain the dignity and self-respect of both the student and the teacher.
  2. Problems are really opportunities to learn and grow. Students will be given opportunities to make decisions and live with the consequences, be they good or bad.
  3. Students will be guided and expected to solve their problems without creating problems for anyone else.
  4. Misbehavior is handled with natural or logical consequences instead of punishment, whenever possible.
  5. School problems will be handled by school personnel. Criminal activities will be referred to the proper authorities.
These core beliefs provide the guiding light for our professional decisions. The staff encourages parents to bring concerns and questions to us in the event we operate in ways that appear to be inconsistent with these core beliefs.

401 East 30th Avenue Spokane, WA 99203 | Phone: (509) 838-8139 | Fax: (509) 835-8050 | E-mail: info@southsidechristianschool.org